Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/Kent State University/The Politics of Inequality in the United States (Fall)

At America’s founding in 1776 Thomas Jefferson crafted the phrase that made it into the Declaration of Independence and America’s DNA: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” Jefferson, a slave owner, was not referring to economic equality per se. With an eye on Europe’s rigid class system that divided the very rich and privileged from the masses, Jefferson believed in a new world committed to promoting the equal value and worth of all citizens.

This course takes up Jefferson’s creed to examine three broad topics:


 * 1) Where is inequality today in the United States and what does it mean? 2. What are the political and policy decisions that cause inequality?
 * 2) How has inequality in the United States today affected political participation and power?

The course relies on a mix of media to explore the topics covered in class including videos, books, articles, television news reports, interviews, and speakers. We will also incorporate comparisons with other countries. Please note: this will be an interesting and engaging course but it will also be a demanding course. There will be a series of extensive writing assignments and a significant amount of reading. The pay off, however, will be better understanding of one of the greatest economic challenges our time.

Week 1: Introduction to Course and Concepts
Topics


 * Overview of the course
 * Assignments and expectations
 * Introduction to how Wikipedia will be used in the course
 * Understanding Wikipedia as a community, we'll discuss its expectations and etiquette.

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Readings: * Héctor Tobar, 2015. How Los Angeles is Becoming a “Third-World” City Los Angeles Times. July 6. (Blackboard)

We’ll watch: * Video. “9 out of 10 Americans Are Completely Wrong About this Mind-­‐Blowing Fact”.

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Handout: Editing Wikipedia

Topics * Discuss different ideas behind inequality * How has our understanding of inequality changed over time? * Is inequality a bad thing? * What do we mean by inequality?

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Readings: * Michael J. Thompson, 2007, The Politics of Inequality: A Political History of the Idea of Economic Inequality in America, New York: Columbia University Press, Conclusion (Blackboard). * Greg Mankiv. 2014. “Yes, the Wealthy Can Be Deserving” New York Times (Feb. 14). * Social Inequality https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_inequality (Only the section on Inequality and Ideology).

We’ll watch and discuss Bill O’Reilly’s (yes, that Bill O'Reilly) take on income inequality in America.

Week 2: Ideas and Views on Inequality
Topics * What do Americans think about inequality? * What factors influence our views about inequality? * What do we mean by &quot;social equality&quot;?

Wikipedia Assignment


 * Basics of editing
 * Anatomy of Wikipedia articles, what makes a good article, how to distinguish between good and bad articles
 * Collaborating and engaging with the Wiki editing community
 * Tips on finding the best articles to work on for class assignments

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Handouts:, Evaluating Wikipedia

Topics * Why do we care about inequality? * Why should government do anything to alleviate inequality? * What is the Samaritan's Dilemma and how is it relevant to how we think about inequality?

Wikipedia Assignment Due by September 10.


 * Create an account and then complete the online training for students. During this training, you will make edits in a sandbox and learn the basic rules of Wikipedia.
 * Create a User page.
 * To practice editing and communicating on Wikipedia, introduce yourself on the user talk page of one of your classmates, who should also be enrolled in the table at the bottom of the page.
 * Explore topics related to your topic area to get a feel for how Wikipedia is organized. What areas seem to be missing? As you explore, make a mental note of articles that seem like good candidates for improvement.

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Resources: Online Training for Students

Week 3: Trends in US Inequality
Topics * How has inequality changed over time in the United States? * How has inequality changed for different groups? * How do we measure inequality?

Handouts:

Week 4: Trends in Ohio
Topics ''How has inequality changed in Ohio over times? ''How have working people in Ohio done over time? ''What parts of the state are the most unequal? ''What do think explains the change in inequality in Ohio?

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Readings: * State of Working Ohio

Paper Assignment A one page proposal discussing the topic you plan to research for your final is due September 22 in class.

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Handouts: and

Topics * Gender disparities are in decline, why? * In addition to pay, are there other ways in which inequality between genders occurs? * Is gender inequality a function of choice or discrimination?

Reading Memo Assignment 1 Due September 24. Possible topics include: * How significant is gender inequality and why? * What factors do you think contribute to inequality in the United States and Ohio? * Are gender differences in pay justified?

Week 5: Trends in Inequality Across Gender, Race and Ethnicity
Topics * How does inequality breakdown by race, gender and ethnicity? * What do we mean by race? * With the election of Barack Obama, do we now live in a post-racial society? * Has anything replaced Jim Crow?

Wikipedia Assignment We will discuss student topics and determine strategies for research and writing about them.

Topics * How does inequality in the US compare with other countries? * What are the different ways one might measure cross-national inequality? * What do international comparisons show?


 * Reading Memo 2 due at the start of class on October 1** Possible topics include: * How does inequality breakdown by race, gender, and/or ethnicity? * How does America compare with the rest of the world? *What OECD countries are the most equitable and least inequitable? Why?

Week 6: Global Trends in Inequality
Topics * What is a union? * What does a union do? * What role do unions play in reducing inequality? --- Readings:


 * Bruce Western and Jake Rosenfeld. 2011. “Unions, Norms and The Rise in U.S. Wage Inequality.” American Sociological Review 76: 513-57

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Handout:

Topics


 * What contributes to a decline in unionization?
 * Why are unionization rates in Canada and the US different?
 * Why are labor unions important in protecting labor rights?

Wikipedia Assignment due October 8. * Write a 3–4 paragraph summary version of your article—with citations—in your Wikipedia sandbox. * Continue research in preparation for expanding your article.

Week 7: Causes of Inequality - Film
Film: Inequality for All (Part 1) ___________________________________________ Wikipedia assignment * Select two classmates’ articles that you will peer review in their sandbox and copyedit. On the table at the bottom of this course page, add your username next to the articles you will peer review.

Film: Inequality for All (Part 2)

Week 8: Causes of Inequality - Changes in Work and Technology
Topics * What have been some of the major technological changes in the past 20 years? * How have computers changed the ways in which work is organized? * Are we more innovative today than a hundred years ago? * How does technology affect inequality?

Wikipedia Assignment


 * Move your sandbox articles into main space.
 * Do NOT copy and paste your text, or there will be no record of your work history. Follow the instructions in the &quot;Moving out of your sandbox&quot; handout.
 * Begin expanding your article into a comprehensive treatment of the topic.

Topics * What is job polarization? * How would changes in productions affect inequality? * What do Mishel et al. find? * Does your own experience confirm Mishel et al. conclusions?

Reading Memo 3 is due in class on October 22. Possible topics include: * Role of unionization in increasing inequality. * What are the main explanations for inequality? * You can also focus on a specific policy that unions have pushed for such as: 1) child labor rules; 2) 40 hour work week; 3) overtime pay; 4) prevailing wage; 5) health care; or 6) higher minimum wages.

Week 9: Causes of Inequality - Politics and Policy
Topics * How do elections matter? * What types of public policies reduce or increase inequality? * How to political and economic explanations for inequality differ? * What do Hacker and Pierson mean by &quot;winner-take-all&quot;?

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Reading: * Jacob S. Hacker and Paul Pierson, 2010. Winner-Take-All Politics: Public Policy, Political Organization, and the Precipitous Rise of Top Incomes in the United States Politics and Society 38(2): 152-204. (Blackboard) * Plurality Voting System. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plurality_voting_system

Topics * What are taxes? * How does tax policy shape inequality? * What does the Congressional Research Service report argue? And, what concerns did Republicans in Congress have with the report?

Draft of reseach paper due October 29th See assignment sheet description.

Week 10: Health Effects of Inequality
Topics * What are the connections between health and inequality? * What's missing from Kawachi and Kennedy's measure of health? * Does health contribute to inequality or does inequality lead to health outcomes?

Reading memo 4 is due in class on November 3. Possible topics include: * Discuss a public policy that shapes inequality? * Does local government policy shape inequality differently from state or federal policies? * If there was one public policies you'd like to see enacted to reduce inequality what would it be?

Topics * How is life expectancy tied to inequality? * Is it a public problem that health and inequality are linked? * Who is living longer and why?

Film We’ll watch: UNNATURAL CAUSES: Is Inequality Making Us Sick?

Week 11: Political effects of Inequality
Topics * Does inequality affect participation or does participation lead to inequality? * What are the ways in which inequality makes ones more or less likely to participate in democracy? * Is there a bias in representation in the US?

Wikipedia article Peer review and copy edit two of classmates’ articles on the talk pages of their article. Due November 10th.

Topics * After reading Gilens' essay, what do you see as the connection between policy and inequality? * Which of the responses to Gilens' essay do you disagree with? * Schiller links inequality to tax policy. Do you agree with his account?

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Readings: * “Forum: Under the Influence,” Boston Review, July/August 2012 (read lead essay by Martin Gilens and all responses) * Zach Schiller. 2015. Well-off are winners of Ohio Tax Plan. Policy Matters Ohio.

Week 12: Solutions to Inequality
Topics * What institutions does Hacker argue need reform? * What is a &quot;Middle-Class Democracy&quot;? * Why a minimum wage? What's the arguments in favor and against?

Readings: Jacob Hacker. 2011. “The Institutional Foundations of Middle-­‐Class Democracy.” Policy Network, May 6. Mike Konczal. 2013 Minimum Wage 101. American Prospect. February 13. Minimum Wage https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minimum_wage

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Wikipedia Assignment Address peer review suggestions by November 17th. Make edits to your article based on peers’ feedback. If you disagree with a suggestion, use talk pages to politely discuss and come to a consensus on your edit. Do additional research and writing to make further improvements to your article, based on your classmates' suggestions and any additional areas for improvement you can identify.

Topics * What is the submerged state? * What have been Obama's policies to combat inequality? * What policies have done the most to reduce inequality? * What are tax solutions to inequality?

Reading: Suzanne Mettler, 2010, “Reconstituting the Submerged State: The Challenges of Social Policy Reform in the Obama Era,” Perspectives on Politics 8(3): 803-824. (Blackboard)

Daniel Altman. 2012. To Reduce Inequality, Tax Wealth, Not Income. New York Times. (November 19). http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/19/opinion/to-reduce-inequality-tax-wealth-not-income.html?_r=0

Week 13: Solution to Inequality & Thanksgiving
Open day to discuss your ideas for reducing inequality

Handout:

Thanksgiving Holiday